Full Of Surprises
by delusionaldamsel
Summary: Dean and Sam lived a simple, normal life. Well, as simple and normal as any hunter's life can get until one night the Winchester's lives are turned upside down when a six year old girl claims to be Dean's daughter. What happens when Dean steps back into the life of an old flame and learns she may be less than human? Now Dean is left with a hard decision: hunt her, or keep her safe
1. Chapter 1

Beep, beep!

When the alarm clock on her bedside table went off, Kat shot up in bed with a huge grin on her face. This was the first morning in a long time where she didn't groan in response to the tiny black box ringing in her ears. Katherine (Kat) Annabel Sawyer had been waiting for this day for years now, and it was finally here. Kat shut off the alarm, hopped out of bed and did the same thing she did every morning, turn on her iPod and start her day with a song thrumming through her mind. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror she was still grinning, which was a rare thing for her to see in the morning. Kat's short dark brown hair was a mess, last night's make up was smudged around her hazel eyes, and her oversized shirt made her look homeless, but today nothing could wipe the smile off her face. Well, so she thought.

"Mommy!"

Kat turned her attention down the hall where her daughter Sophie stood in her Little Mermaid pajamas, a smile identical to her mother's across her tiny lips. Kat's grin grew as she took in the overzealous blonde hair green eyed 6 year old walking towards her. There was nothing Kat loved more in this world than her daughter, and the fact that Sophie was just as excited about today as her mother was made her heart swell. Once Sophie closed the distance between the two of them Kat scooped her daughter into her arms as they giggled simultaneously. Kat kissed her daughter on the cheek, still giggling uncontrollably.

"Good morning baby. How did you sleep?" Kat asked her daughter as she walked them back to the little girl's room.

"Okay, but the monster in my closet is still bothering me." Sophie whispered, her smile now gone.

Kat frowned. "Baby I checked and re-checked your closet before you went to bed. I promise there is nothing in your closet."

Kat set Sophie down before walking over to the pink dresser drawers looking for something for the little girl to wear. Sophie flopped down on her bed pouting.

"Grandpa John would have believed me." Sophie mumbled.

Kat set the clothes she had just retrieved on the bed then turned back around before she rolled her eyes.

"John believes a lot of things." Kat mumbled.

"Are you going to call him today? My father-daughter dance is next weekend." Sophie whined in her high pitched pleading voice.

Kat tensed at the mention of John and the annual father-daughter news. She still hadn't been able to tell Sophie the news, and she was running out of time before it would become obvious something was wrong. Kat couldn't focus on this today, she had too much to worry about and dishing out bad news to her 6 year old wasn't on the to-do list for the day. Kat turned around and forced her lips into a smile when she faced an eager Sophie.

"I promise I'll call him this week but not today. I barely have enough time to get you to school on time. Now go take a shower, we need to be gone in 15 minutes."

Sophie nodded her grin even bigger than it had been a few seconds ago before she grabbed her clothes off the bed and rushed to the bathroom. When Sophie closed the door behind her Kat slumped against the wall and let out a sigh. How was she going to break the news that this might be the first year she wouldn't have anyone to take her to her dance? It had been hard enough to beg John to come to the first two dances. There was no way Kat was going to find a suitable replacement by next Saturday.

_Get through today, worry about the dance tomorrow. _

Kat nodded to herself trying to push the thought out of her head for now, she had 15 minutes to look professional and she couldn't waste a second worrying about anything else. This was her big break, and bad news and tears could wait one more day. Even though she had let it wait 2 months now. Kat just hoped she could get through today and keep up her lie for just a little while longer.

Dean sat on the hood of his car waiting for his brother to pack up the car. Sam was his brother's…well, to put it bluntly, bitch boy, and Dean used it to his advantage whenever he could. Today it was having him pack the car with their bags, yesterday it was making his little brother pay for lunch, tomorrow it could be a number of things. Dean loved his kid brother, but he was always pushing his brother's "brotherly loyalty" to a breaking point. Sam was four years younger than Dean, and Dean would always hold that slight age difference against Sam.

"No its cool, I wouldn't like any help. Wouldn't want you to break a nail or anything." Sam mumbled as he shoved the last bag into the trunk.

"Aw thanks Sammy, you're a lifesaver." Dean shouted as he pushed himself off the hood of his car.

Dean and Sam were on their way to Pittsburg to work another "job". It was as if they could never get a break, but the business they were in didn't offer a lot of time off. So today was like any other day: pay the motel tab, eat a greasy breakfast at the closest fast food place, and hit the road. Life was anything but normal for the Winchester brothers, but they made it the best life they could.

"Come on, I don't have all day!" Dean shouted from the driver's seat.

Sam rolled his eyes before he slammed the trunk shut and ran around to the passenger's side of the car. Sam slammed the door behind him, making Dean cringe.

"You break it, you spend the next three years fixing it, got it?" Dean said as he turned his attention to his brother.

Sam rolled his eyes and nodded. Sam knew better than to break Dean's car, sometimes he thought Dean loved that thing more than his only brother. Sam watched as his brother blew out a breath and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair before turning the key in the ignition. Once the car turned on, the tiny space was filled with the noise of an Ace of Base song. Dean cringed before he stabbed a random button to quickly change the station. Sam watched his brother out of the corner of his eye, waiting for Dean's reaction. Sam knew Dean had an irrational hate for the 90's pop band, but his brother never explained the reason behind his distaste. Dean let out a long breath before finding a song he could stand and putting the car into reverse.

"We've talked about you playing with my radio. Don't touch it man, I'm not in the mood for crap music this early in the morning." Dean said between gritted teeth while he pulled out of the motel parking lot.

"Dude…I didn't touch your radio. Paranoid much?" Sam grumbled, turning his attention to the map in his lap.

Dean wasn't in the mood to argue with his brother so he let the subject go, too busy trying to get the memories connected to that song out of his mind. Though Dean had turned the channel after only a few seconds of the song playing, his mind was now miles away, 7 years in the past. Dean tried focusing on the road, but he had a feeling his head would be too busy remembering summer nights that still haunted him.

Kat hit the door out of breath, three bags in one hand, a cup of coffee that miraculously hadn't spilt in another, and a folder between her teeth. Of course she was late, she was late to everything, her high school chemistry teacher told her the day of her graduation she'd probably be late to her own funeral. Honestly, Kat completely agreed with that statement, she had an issue with being on time. Before she could try and juggle the things in her arms Ashley, Kat's assistant, pulled the door open, smiling down at Kat, her eagerness written across her face.

"Morning Kat! Don't worry I lied about what time we opened so you'd be on time." Ashley said, grabbing some of the bags from her boss.

Kat sighed in relief and smiled as she sat the rest of her stuff down on the counter that stood in the back of the store. Sometimes Ashley could be a little too cheery in the morning, but Kat and her business were both hopeless without her exuberant assistant to help them both stay afloat.

"Ash, remind me to give you a raise when I can afford it. I'd be lost without you." Kat said as she spread the contents of the bags across the counter.

Ashley let out a small laugh, pushed her long brown hair behind her ear, and adjusted her glasses out of nervous habit. Ashley didn't take compliments well, it was one of the only things to make Kat's chatty employee speechless. Kat had been telling Ashley she would be lost without her for years, and still every time she gave the girl a compliment her face turned as red as a tomato.

Kat looked around the store in awe, still shocked that the day had finally come. Kat had wanted to start her own clothing line since…well, almost forever, and after much saving, hard work, and planning, today was the day K Vicious, the first store to sell Kat's clothes, would officially be open. Nothing in Kat's life had ever come anything close to easy, she struggled for everything she had, but all her hard work had finally paid off. Kat leaned against the counter and just stared at her dream coming true, pride swelling inside her as the minutes ticked by.

"We did it Ash, we finally have everything done and…" Kat looked up at the clock, "Whenever you decided we open, we'll finally have achieved our dream."

Ashley's grin grew as she stood next to her boss and took in her surroundings. "I think we make a great team. And I think you've earned all of it, so congratulations."

Kat wrapped her arms around Ashley. "No, we've earned this. Thanks for everything."

"Of course, I'm glad to be a part of all this. Oh, and we open in 5 minutes."

Kat released Ashley and started picking up her papers. "Of course, I made it on time and I'm still going to be late on my first day."

"Remind me next time we do a job like this to wear something other than my favorite jacket." Dean said as he pulled his blood stained tee-shirt over his head.

"I think it's sad you're a grown man with a favorite jacket." Sam replied, wiping a chunk of…something off his cheek.

Dean rolled his eyes as he pulled another shirt from the trunk and threw it over his head. "The only reason you don't have a good jacket is because you buy all your clothes from The Gap. We all can't be lame enough to dress like a soccer dad."

Sam threw his black tee shirt at his brother before pulling an identical shirt over his head. "I bought all my clothes from Target, smart ass. You're the one who spent $80 on a jacket all because you think it helps you 'pick up chicks'. Now who's lame?"

"You have to spend money to make connections. Get it?" Dean said as he nudged his brother.

"I don't understand half the time how we could possibly be brothers."

Dean passed Sam the keys before sitting in the passenger's seat, ready to pass out. Sam shook his head, too tired to participate in another long conversation with his brother. Once they both took their seats in the car Sam turned towards Dean who was a few quiet minutes away from falling asleep.

"What now, you want me to find another job or you ready to take a few days off?" Sam asked, hoping his brother was as exhausted as he was.

Dean opened one eye and smirked at his brother. "Find us someplace nice to vacation Sammy, possibly somewhere with bikinis and sunshine."

Sam rolled his eyes and put the car in drive. "Oh yeah, in the middle of September, that's so easy."

"Don't worry Sam, I believe in you. If you fail you'll just be sleeping outside while I spread my god given talents to the beautiful women of whatever back water town we end up in."

"Oh, can't wait, as if that's not the outcome if I do find us someplace with half naked women."

"You have a point there Sam. That's why you're the brains, and I'm the good looks in the family."

Sam just shook his head and drove north, there had to be something exciting to do within a day's drive of Pittsburg, right?


	2. Chapter 2

Kat stood at the kitchen counter watching Sophie color while she hummed along to the music on the radio. Kat had survived her first day at work, she even made a ton of sales, most of them tee-shirts, but money was money. It was now time to face her daughter and give her the bad news. Ever since Sophie was 4 her school had put on a father-daughter dance, and the first time Sophie had come home with the news, Kat did everything she could to avoid having to participate. She bought Sophie gifts, made her favorite dinner every night for three weeks, promised Sophie the dance lessons she had been begging for, Kat even offered to take Sophie herself, but nothing was good enough. Her daughter had never asked for much, and watching her face scrunch up and her pretty green eyes fill with tears broke her heart every time she explained to Sophie there was no way she could go with her dad.

Kat hadn't spoken to Sophie's father in years, and she wasn't going to pick up the phone now to beg him to drop everything and take his daughter to a dance. Kat had more pride than was healthy. After three weeks of trying to knock the idea out of Sophie's head, Kat finally had to give in and find someone to take her. Kat got a depressing "I'd rather not go at all than go with you. Why can't I have a daddy like everyone else?" when she offered to take Sophie herself. That was the last straw for Kat. She couldn't take watching her daughter cry every night just because Kat herself was stubborn.

Kat still couldn't build up the courage to call Sophie's father, but she had access to the next best option, she just hoped the last number she had for him was still in service. Kat sat on her bathroom floor and dialed the number, waited through two rings before John, Sophie's grandfather on her father's side, answered the phone. Kat had to swallow back the tear she felt swelling inside her. She was desperate and if he agreed to this Kat could give her daughter the thing she wanted most this week. Of course John was just excited Kat wanted him to be a part of his granddaughter's life and jumped on the chance to get to spend time with her. John showed up a week before the dance and spent every free second Sophie had with her teaching her how to play football, watching kid's tv shows, coloring, even cooking the three of them dinner.

After that John showed up for holidays when he could or when he had a free week he'd drive up and spend as much time with his granddaughter as he could. Kat appreciated the time John made for Sophie, but she still begged John each time he showed up to keep the fact that he saw Sophie to himself. John never understood why, but every time he kept his visits to himself.

Kat let out a sigh and walked across the kitchen, took a seat next to her daughter, and brushed the hair out of her face. Sophie looked up, a deep frown set in her face, readying herself for the bad news her mother had to tell her. For a 6 year old, Sophie could always tell when her mother was in a bad mood or had bad news to share. Kat took a deep breath before folding her knees to her chest and preparing herself for what would happen next.

"Sophie…I didn't know how to tell you this, I had been putting it off for a while, but I have to tell you something." Kat explained, using all her will power to keep eye contact with her daughter.

Sophie sat there staring at her mother, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Baby…Grandpa John passed away." Kat said watching her daughter's face for her reaction.

At first it took Sophie a minute to understand, but the second the words sunk in, her tiny green eyes filled with tears. Sophie let out a small sob, her chest tight with pain.

"How long has he been dead?" Sophie choked.

Kat looked at the table, ashamed of her next answer. "Two months."

Sophie blinked at her mother. How could she have kept this from her for so long? Sophie loved her grandpa and now he was gone. He had been gone, and she never realized. Sophie threw her crayons on the floor and stomped up the stairs, wailing the whole way up.

"I hate you!" Sophie screamed from the top of the stairs before storming off down the hall.

Kat covered her mouth before the sob she let out was audible. She knew the way she handled things was wrong, but she didn't know how to tell her daughter. How do you explain death to a 6 year old? It was always hard when Kat realized her baby was smarter than she assumed. Kat rested her head against the table and sobbed into her folded arms. Sophie wasn't the only one lost without John.

Sophie stomped into her mother's room and glanced around the room. It only took her a few minutes to spot the thing she was looking for. She grabbed the object from her mom's bedside table, walked over to the bathroom, and locked the door behind her. Sophie sat on the bathroom floor for a while, thinking about what could happen if she did what she was thinking about doing. At the moment, she didn't care how much trouble she was going to get in, she was scared, lost, hurt, and her mother had kept her in the dark for months. Sophie turned on the cell phone in her hand, found the number she was looking for, hit 'call', and waited while the phone rang.

Sam was humming along to the song on the radio and focusing on the empty stretch of road in front of him when the car suddenly filled with a buzzing noise. He checked his pocket and found it wasn't his phone making the noise. He leaned over and tried to check the glove compartment without waking Dean up, but it was a lost caused. Before Sam could open the latch Dean sat up and glared at his brother.

"You tryin' to make a pass at me in my sleep? So not cool dude." Dean said as he stretched.

"Don't call me dude. And I was trying to get the phone that's ringing." Sam explained as he pulled himself back in his seat.

Dean suddenly registered the ringing noise that was coming from the compartment in front of him. He pried open the door, reached in for his father's phone and checked the caller I.D.

"Who the hell is Katie?" Dean glared at the screen, trying to figure out who could possibly be calling his dead father.

"I have no idea. Why do you have dad's phone anyways?" Sam glanced at the phone, trying to ignore the knot that was forming in his gut.

Sam had an idea who this Katie person could be but he found out about Katie on accident. When he received that call two months ago, he told himself he would keep what he knew to himself. He refused to tell Dean anything about the mystery woman who had called their father's cell phone a few weeks after he died.

"Figured I'd keep it. You know, just in case we needed the phone for something." Dean shrugged and hit answer on the small device. "Hello?"

"Who is this?" Sophie huffed on the other end of the phone.

Dean looked at the phone confused. "Dean Winchester. Who the hell is this?"

"I'm Sophie, and I'm 6, so you better watch your language."

Dean covered the phone and turned to his brother confused. "Some kid named Sophie is calling dad. What's going on?"

Sam's eyes widened. He grabbed the phone from his brother and pressed it against his ear.

"Hi, sorry this is Sam. Can I help you with something?" Sam said, trying to come off a little nicer than his brother.

"I'm Sophie, I'm looking for John Winchester's son… or nephew, or… I'm not quite sure who I'm looking for. John Winchester is my grandfather and I just found out he's dead so I want to speak to my father. I have some questions for him."

Sam almost lost control of the car as he listened to the little girl speak. When Katie had called a few months ago, he had assumed by the sorrow in her voice from learning he was dead she had to be his girlfriend, but this situation…it was even more confusing. Sam gripped on to the steering wheel and tried to ignore his brother's whispered questions. He could only focus on one thing at a time.

"Sophie, are you sure you're thinking of the right person? Where's your mom? Can I talk to her?"

"I'm sure I'm looking for the right person! My grandpa is John Winchester. This is the number my mom has for him, so this must be his number, and I used to see him at least four times a year. I know who my own grandfather is, jeez! You can't talk to my mom right now she…doesn't know I'm calling. I'm not supposed to call." Sophie explained, now a little nervous about making this phone call.

Sam tried focusing on the road, but he was too busy trying to wrap his head around this new information. Sam couldn't think of anyone he'd been with six years ago besides his ex-girlfriend Monica, and he knew for a fact she didn't have a kid, so who was this mystery kid? That's when he turned his narrowed eyes towards his brother, who was still trying to figure out was going on. Sam should have assumed this was his brother's kid and not his own, Dean had a habit of leaving a trail of broken hearts in every city they stopped in, but this…this was a new one for Dean.

"Okay, can you tell me who your mom is?" Sam asked, still not quite sure how to approach this situation.

"Just because you have 20 questions doesn't mean you can ignore mine. My mom is Katherine Sawyer, and I, Sophie Sawyer want to speak to my sperm donor, well, that's what mom calls him." Sophie huffed, getting annoyed this conversation wasn't going the way she wanted.

Sam racked his brain, trying to remember why the name sounded so familiar. He knew he'd heard it before, but he had no idea why. He did know that this was one of his brother's conquests and not one his own. Sam rolled his eyes and turned his attention towards his brother.

"Sawyer, does the last name mean anything to you?" Seth asked, expecting his brother to sit there forever trying to remember this girl.

To Sam's surprise, Dean suddenly tensed when he registered the name. Dean knew the name all too well, her face haunted his dreams on a regular basis, when he was driving he would find himself zoning out, thinking about the brown eyed girl he left 7 years ago. And that's when it all sank in. Darien snatched the phone from his brother without even thinking about it.

"Your mother is Kat Sawyer?" Darien shouted down the phone.

"You must be the idiot who got her pregnant." Sophie snapped, tired of this back and forth conversation.

Dean's eyes widened as he took in all this information. This kid was his. He had a kid out there somewhere. Dean Winchester… a father?! That sounded like the beginning of a bad joke. Why hadn't he known about any of this? Why had his father known about Sophie and he didn't know about his own daughter?

"Look, I'm gonna get caught if I stay on this phone too much longer, but you should come see us. I know you don't know about me, so let's try and skip the 'I have a daughter, what?' conversation tonight and save that for another day. Find a piece of paper and write down this address."

Dean grabbed a pen and pad from the glove compartment and took down the little girl's address without interrupting. Dean didn't know what to say, so he said nothing at all.

"Get here soon, I need a favor and I'm going to be in so much trouble for making this call, but I did it so I might as well get something out of it. Okay chit-chat time is over, gotta go. Hurry up and get here! Bye."

The line went dead next to Dean's ear before he could collect himself enough to reply. Dean looked at his brother, his face slack with shock. Sam kept his eyes on the road while he tried to keep his laughter to himself. This was better than television.

"I have a kid. With Kat Sawyer. Kat Sawyer and I have a daughter." Dean mumbled, still in shock.

"Dean, who is this girl? I expected it to take you a few years to remember this girl's name. I've never heard about her before."

Dean shook his head. "Just get us to Ohio soon. I'm going to find out what all this means."

Dean watched the trees blur past the window as he thought about Kat. He hadn't stopped thinking about the girl with the smile that could light up a room but eyes filled with so much sorrow since the day he'd left her. He thought she was going to come with him but she never showed up that night. Now 7 years later he was getting phone calls from a little girl who claimed to be his daughter? And the worst part, his father knew she existed this whole time. Why hadn't she told him? Why hadn't his own father told him the news? What was he going to find when he showed up on her door step? Dean tried to ignore the nervous feeling taking him over and focused on falling back asleep. This was probably going to be a sleepless night, thinking about the girl he left behind 7 years ago.

Kat was standing behind the counter when the bell above the door rang. Kat looked up from her paperwork to see her older sister Taylor walk up to the counter, her brown hair tied up in a bun, deep bags under her brown eyes, and her blue scrubs soaked down the front. Taylor was a nurse at the local hospital and some days when she got off work early she would come visit her sister. Today was the first time Taylor had seen Kat's new store, and though it took her a minute to remember she'd never been here before, the moment she realized where she was she stopped, taking in everything.

"Welcome to K Vicious! Please tell me that's not blood on your shirt." Kat exclaimed, a satisfied grin crossing her lips.

Taylor turned her attention back to her sister, an identical smile now across her face. Taylor closed the distance between herself and the counter, rested her elbows against the surface, and half collapsed half rested against the counter. Taylor had just finished a two day shift and she was ready to collapse, but she had to come see her sister after the urgent message she'd received this morning.

"It's coffee, I tried to caffeinate before I came here, but as you can see I can't drink coffee and drive at the same time. This looks amazing Katie, you really did it." Taylor said as she tried to smile through her hazy state of mind.

Kat jumped up in glee and giggled. "I can't believe I actually did it!"

Taylor walked around the counter and wrapped her arms around her little sister. Even though Kat was wearing three inch heels, Taylor was still a good four inches taller than Kat. Somehow Kat got the short end of the gene pool stick. While Taylor was tall, 5'7, and built like a model, Kat was short, 5'0", and shaped like an hour glass. If it weren't for their similar facial features no one would ever guess the sisters were related.

Kat realized their hug was lasting a little longer than usual. When she looked up at her sister she found her fast asleep around Kat's neck. Kat nudged Taylor laughing under her breath.

"Why don't you go pick up Sophie from school and go back to my place and get some rest. I'll make you dinner once I get home." Kat offered as she tried to straighten her sister into a normal standing position.

Taylor released her sister, stretched, and nodded. "Alright sounds like a plan. Take your time. I'm in no rush to wake up once I fall asleep."

Kat watched as her sister dragged herself towards the front of the store half awake. She was already regretting telling Taylor to go pick up her daughter, now worried they'd both die because Taylor fell asleep behind the wheel, but she trusted her sister to get them home safely. Kat was about to go back to her paperwork when Taylor whipped around and stalked back to the counter, looking a little more alert than she had a few moments before.

"I almost forgot, what happened last night that put you in such a crying fit?" Taylor asked her face now constricted into a worried expression.

Kat almost forgot she had called her sister crying last night. She called three times before leaving a tearful voicemail on her sister's phone, hoping she'd have time to call her back soon. No wonder Taylor had arrived half-awake to see her. Kat sigh and leaned against the counter.

"I told Sophie John died." Kat sighed.

If Taylor hadn't been fully awake a minute ago, she sure was now. Taylor's eyes grew to the size of saucers as she stared back at her sister.

"How did she take that?" Taylor asked, now coherent and alert.

Kat sighed and slumped more onto the counter. "She spent most of the night crying. She hasn't said a word to me since. I knew better than to keep this from her this long, but I didn't know how to tell her."

Taylor shook her head in shock. "Have you talked to-"

"No!" Kat cut her sister off mid-sentence. "What am I supposed to say 'hey it's Kat, that girl from years ago, yeah, well…surprise, you have a six year old!' Yeah, I'm not calling him."

Taylor rolled her eyes as Kat moved her paperwork off the counter, a deep frown now setting into her face. Taylor didn't know much about the mystery man who was her niece's father, or why Kat wasn't speaking to him, but ever since her sister showed up on her doorstep 6 years ago, 18 years old, holding a new born in her arms, Kat had refused to call up the other half of Sophie's gene pool. Taylor was still convinced Kat wouldn't have called John if Taylor hadn't dialed the number for her. Her sister was adamant on keeping her distance when it came to Sophie's father, but no one knew why. Taylor had an inkling of an idea, but the idea was so outlandish. Knowing Kat, Taylor wouldn't put it past her to have an absurd reason for keeping away from Sophie's father.

"Since I know you have a long rest of the day, I'll drop the subject for now. We'll pick this back up tonight!"

Taylor kissed her sister on the check then turned and walked away. Kat didn't want to admit it, but maybe her sister was right, maybe she should call. She had done it a million times: picked up the phone, dialed the number and waited until he answered the phone. He always answered, but every time she heard his voice she hung up the phone. She couldn't talk to him, it had been so long, and she had lost him. Why did she want to go through that pain again?

Kat fidgeted with the iPhone in her hand contemplating her choices. One button was all it took and she could say…something. Anything would be better than the silence she had left him with so long ago. Kat took a deep breath, scrolled through her contacts, found the one she was looking for, and hit send. It only took one ring before his voice filled her ear.

"Dean Winchester here." Dean answered, his voice sounding the same way it did 7 years ago.

Kat opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Dean shouted over the background noise.

Kat shook her head and hung up the phone.

"I'm sorry." Kat whispered as she stared at her phone.

"Wake up." Sam shouted as he nudged his brother awake.

Dean startled awake and looked around him. They were in some suburban neighborhood presumably in Ohio, since Dean specifically told Sam not to wake him up until they had arrived. Dean looked up at the house they were parked in front of, still trying to process and wake up. It was your typical brick house, the door made of stained glass, and the steps leading up to the door lined in purple flowers. Kat had always wanted an old fashioned house, Dean remembered all the little things Kat had rambled about, it was the only time her smile was genuine. Dean smiled to himself, knowing Kat got what she wanted made him feel a sense of pride for his ex…well, Dean and Kat never had a label to begin with, so it was hard to label what they had even now.

"Is this the house?" Dean asked just to clarify.

Sam got out of the car and shut the door behind him. "From the face in the window, I'd say yes."

Dean followed Sam's gaze to find a tiny girl standing in the door window staring at them through the glass. Dean stared at the girl in awe. She looked like Kat's daughter, dressed up as a cross between a flower hippy and a model but the resemblance between Sophie and Dean was uncanny. From where Dean stood he could see her long blonde hair was the same shade as his own short cut head of hair. Dean walked up the stairs to the door in a daze, trying to get a closer look at the tiny girl smiling at him. The smile on her face was familiar because his lips curved in the same way when he smiled, and though her eyes were shaped just like her mother's, the shade of green that stared at Dean was identical to his own eye color. Sam tapped his brother on the shoulder breaking the trance he was in. Dean hadn't realized he was inches away from the glass that separated him and his daughter. He was too busy taking her all in, shocked by the similarities and suddenly even more hurt from being kept in the dark for so long.

Sophie pulled the door open and smiled up at the two brothers, excitement filling her as the seconds passed. This was her father, the man she had wondered about ever since she could remember, and he was finally here. It was so unreal to her. It was unreal for the three of them, staring at one another, all in shock.

"You can come in or would you prefer to stand out there and continue to stare." Sophie said between giggles.

Dean smiled at her. The sassy manner in which she spoke was definitely something she picked up from her mother, and though it was toned down to a 6 year old level, he knew Sophie was mimicking the way her mother spoke.

Dean walked past her and into the house while Sam followed closely behind him. Sophie frowned up at Sam, confused.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Sophie asked as she shut the door.

Dean and Sam glanced at each other with wide eyes then turned their shocked expressions to the little girl. Sophie just frowned up at the pair of them, still confused.

"No, we're brothers." Dean explained, trying to gain control of his face once more. "This is Sam and I'm Dean. I'm um…you're dad, I guess."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "You guess? I doubt Ranger Bob there next to you is my dad. He doesn't look like the love em' and leave em' kinda guy."

Dean stared at the girl, completely dumbfounded. He was being judged…by a 6 year old. Sophie just crossed her arms over her chest glaring up at Dean. She was already disappointed, she had assumed he would be some prince to save the day, not some confused pretty boy who looked like he broke her mother's heart. No wonder Kat never called him before.

"Aren't you supposed to show me some respect? I am your father after all. And you are too young to know what 'love em' and leave em' even means! What does your mother let you watch?!" Dean exclaimed, looking at his new found daughter in shock.

Sam covered his mouth with his hand trying to stifle the laugh that he couldn't help but let escape. Sam already liked this kid, if any girl was going to be Dean's perfect kid, this would be it. She was a no crap kinda kid, and that's exactly the kind of kid Dean needed. Sam was still trying to process the new information, the thousands of questions running through his mind, and the awkwardness of this whole situation, but at least this girl could bring some comedy to the whole thing. Sam was already growing to like his niece.

Before Sophie could reply a sound like a door closing came from the kitchen and music started to play. Sophie turned wide eyes towards Sam and Dean and gestured towards the living room.

"We can talk more about this later, right now I have to figure out how to explain this to my mom." Sophie said in a panicked voice while trying to herd the boys into the living room.

"You let me take care of that, you just play along." Dean said winking at the little girl as he sat down on the couch, making himself at home.

Sophie cringed, hoping this would all work, but doubting Dean actually knew how to 'take care' of any situation. Sophie sighed and sat herself down on the floor in front of the couch, waiting for the games to being. She just hoped she'd survive the next hour.


	3. Chapter 3

When Kat hit the door she dropped her bags in the kitchen, put on her iPod, and sighed in relief. It had been a long day, her feet were screaming in pain, and she was tired of her business woman attire. Usually Sophie let her have enough alone time to last a song before she barged into the kitchen to greet her mother. So Kat had three whole minutes to unwind and she wasn't going to do it in these clothes. Kat let her skirt and her button up shirt fall to the floor, removed her shoes from her sore feet and stood in the middle of her kitchen swaying to the music, preparing herself for 'mom mode'.

Kat took a few ingredients from the cabinets for dinner in between dancing around the kitchen. This was how Kat unwound ever night: threw her work clothes in a pile and danced in a tank top and her underwear. It was simple, but it was her favorite part about coming home, besides seeing Sophie.

When Kat realized she had gotten through two whole songs and Sophie still hadn't appeared she found a song the both of them liked and danced out the swinging doors of the kitchen and headed towards the living room. Kat was too busy spinning in a circle, her shoulder length hair whipping around her face, and swaying her hips to notice she had an audience. Once she got dizzy she stopped and faced the room. The second she saw the two people sitting on her couch staring at her, Kat dropped to the floor using her legs to cover her underwear.

Kat looked up again and processed exactly who was sitting on her couch. There sitting in her living room was Dean Winchester, the boy she told herself she got over the second he left town, but truthfully, still thought about every day. Dean was in her living room, while she was sitting on her heels trying to cover her half naked body. Dean stared back at a shocked Kat, both of them stunned by the other's presence. Dean and Kat had assumed they'd never see each other again, but here they were, in Kat's living room, staring at each other.

"Hi Kat." Dean whispered smiling at her, suddenly warmed by her presence.

Dean's smile still made her weak in the knees and her heart race. Kat tried to collect herself, but it was hard. This whole situation was right out of left field, she hadn't seen Dean in 7 years and now he was here…in her living room… sitting with their daughter. Kat's heart stopped at that realization. Dean and Sophie were in the same room and neither of them knew who the other one was. Kat removed herself from the floor, pulled her shirt down over her underwear as best she could, and tried to clear her head enough to figure out what was going on. Kat rested her hands on her hips and opened her mouth but no words came out. She was obviously flustered.

"I've been looking for you for a while. Who knew I'd find you in Ohio of all places." Dean said as if Kat were the only person in the room.

Kat blushed, and then frowned from the realization Dean had made her blush after all the time.

"I moved." Kat stated matter-o-factly.

Dean smirked. "You know, I picked up on that."

Kat shot Dean a glare while he continued to mock her silly comment. The stairs behind Kat creaked which turned Kat's attention upward where her sister was coming down the stairs. Kat tensed seeing her half-awake sister walking down the stairs. Kat told Taylor who Dean was years ago but she never gave her sister more information than his name. How was she going to explain why Dean was here now? Actually, Kat didn't know why he was here, but she still wasn't ready to explain to her daughter Dean was her father. And she definitely wasn't ready to tell Dean he was a father.

Taylor walked over to her sister and glanced at the two guys sitting on the couch. Taylor looked her sister up and down, glanced back at the boys, and then shot her sister a disapproving look.

"Who are they and where are your pants?" Taylor asked between yawning.

Before Kat could say anything, Dean stood up and offered Taylor his hand. "I'm Dean Winchester and I can't tell you where her pants are but this time it's not my fault."

Taylor whipped her head around to stare at her sister, her mouth gaping open. Taylor ignored the hand Dean was still holding out and continued to stare at her sister in shock. Taylor knew the name Dean all too well, she swore up and down the second she met this boy she'd give him a mouthful, but at the moment she was too shocked he was here. In her sister's living room. While her sister was butt naked.

"We need to find you pants. Now!" Taylor exclaimed as she pushed her sister up the stairs.

Kat stumbled up the stairs while Taylor continued to push her. Kat picked up her pace in the hope of preventing herself from tripping on a step and tumbling back down the stairs. Once Taylor and Kat were in Kat's room Taylor shut the door behind them and turned to her sister with a huge grin on her face.

"That's-" Taylor exclaimed as she bounced on her heels.

"Sophie's father, I know." Kat sighed.

Sam walked over to the fireplace where rows of pictures sat and picked up one of the frames. The frame was a pastel blue with yellow flowers painted around the edges, probably a gift Kat had received when Sophie was born. Sam stood there for a moment running his fingers across the edges of the photo, trying to imagine the scene in the photo. Inside the blue frame sat a picture of his father holding a newborn in his arms wrapped in a pink and white hospital blanket. Behind John lying in the hospital bed was Kat, sweat plastering her hair around her face as she slept. John was holding a sleeping Sophie as he smiled down at the tiny pink baby. It had been a while since Sam had seen his father smile like that and here he was, forever captured smiling down at his newborn granddaughter. Sam couldn't put two and two together. Why hadn't John told his son's about Kat or her daughter? Sam felt a pain form in his chest as he continued to stare at the picture. He couldn't explain why looking at this picture hurt him, but the longer he looked at it the stronger the pain in his chest got.

"That's the day I was born."

Sam looked down to see Sophie standing next to him, staring up at the picture in his hands. Sam smiled at the little girl. It was odd looking at this little girl and seeing Dean's resemblance in her face and her mannerisms. Dean having a 6 year old was a foreign concept to everyone, especially Sam. Dean was a lot of things, but a father figure? Thinking about it that way Sam was starting to understand why their father kept Dean in the dark about Sophie but why hadn't John told his other son about the little girl? Sam was related to Sophie just as much as Dean was. John was a part of her life, he watched this girl grow up. Sam felt cheated, he didn't know Kat and he barely knew Sophie, but they were his family and he had been left out of getting to know either of them.

"Sophie do you have any more pictures of you and your grandpa?" Sam asked as he watched the little girl smile sadly at the picture he was still holding.

Sophie pulled her attention away from the picture and focused on Sam. "Yeah, mom has a whole album, when she's busy I'll find it for you."

Sam patted Sophie on the head. "Thanks Sophie. You don't know how much it means to me."

Sam walked over to where his brother was sitting on the couch staring at the ground. Sam handed the picture to his brother who refocused his attention to the here and now. Dean took the picture from his brother and studied it. Dean couldn't focus on his father. It still hurt to remember he was gone, so he focused on the baby in his arms. She was so tiny and to Dean she looked perfect. Looking at this picture and at the 6 year old Sophie he could understand why he thought she was so perfect, she was Kat's daughter, but he was in awe looking at this little girl and seeing himself in her face. He had a daughter and to him she was perfect.

Dean looked up to find Sophie staring at him. She wasn't sure how he felt about her and to be honest Sophie knew better than to expect him to drop everything and be her father, but in that moment she just wanted him to at least tell her he loved her. Dean smiled at Sophie, pushed himself off the couch and walked over to where she stood next to Sam. Dean picked Sophie off the ground and rested her on his hip as he squeezed her tightly to him. Sophie was shocked at first then she wrapped her arms around Dean's neck as she smiled to herself.

Kat walked down the stairs and found Dean and Sam listening to Sophie ramble on about typical 6 year old things. Kat stopped short and turned to her sister placing a finger over her lips to tell her to stay quiet. Kat watched as Sophie twirled in a circle giggling while Dean smiled watching the little girl play. It hurt something inside her to watch them interact, as if it came instinctively. Looking at them interacting together Kat could see all the similarities in their faces, it was eerie how much they looked alike.

Dean turned to find Kat standing on the stairs watching them. She had changed, her hair was shorter, she dressed more like a business woman and less like a flower child, but her smile still lit up the room and her eyes still held a world of sadness. For a moment they just stayed there, staring back at each other, speechless, unsure of what to do next. Kat was the first to move as she continued down the stairs, looking at the floor as she tried to ignore Dean's watchful gaze. When Kat made it to the living room she walked over to Sophie and picked her up from behind. Sophie instinctively wrapped herself around her mother's body and rested her head on her mother's shoulder, a peaceful expression now on her face. Taylor just shrugged and stood next to her sister waiting to see what was about to happen. Taylor was just along for the ride.

"Sorry for the lack of a warm welcome, you caught me off guard." Kat explained while she focused on pushing Sophie's blonde hair out of the child's face.

"We're sorry we startled you. Sophie here let us in, we assumed you were home." Dean explained as he watched Kat's every move.

Kat pulled back a little so her daughter could see the disapproving look on her face. "We've talked about you opening the door without an adult. What if there was an axe murderer at the door?"

"But he's not an axe murderer silly." Sophie said trying to stifle a giggle.

"I'm sorry my sister is so rude." Taylor chimed in. "I'm Taylor, the older sister, I'm guessing you know Kat, and this is her lovely daughter Sophie."

Dean took the hand Taylor held out and shook it. "It's nice to meet you Taylor. I'm Dean, and this is my brother Sam. I'm an old friend of your sister's."

Kat cringed when he said the word 'friends'. Hadn't they been a little more than that? Kat shook her head trying to push the thought away. She didn't know what they were, another reason Kat had never called Dean. Sam walked up to Kat and offered her his hand. Kat had to smile up at Sam since he was at least 6 feet tall with light brown hair falling into his green eyes. Kat placed Sophie on the ground, straightened herself up and took Sam's hand.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry I had to give you the bad news over the phone the last time you called." Sam whispered as he smiled at Kat and continued to shake her hand.

Kat froze. She hadn't thought about who was on the other end of the phone when she tried to get ahold of John two months ago. What must he have thought, finding out Kat was the person who had called? How did he know she was the person who called anyways? Part of her was relieved it hadn't been Dean who she had spoken to and another part of her felt extremely rude for hanging up after Sam had said the words "John's dead". Kat recovered and flashed Sam a weak smile, her hand still in his.

"I'm sorry I was so rude when I called. I wasn't prepared for the news. I-" Kat stood there looking at their hands trying to figure out how to explain why she had called.

Sam smiled down at Kat, picking up on the fact that she was suddenly flustered. "It's fine, it's nice to meet the voice on the other end of the phone."

Kat flashed him a dazzling smile in response. They just stood there smiling at one another, their hands still intertwined. Finally Kat realized their hand shake was lasting longer than normal and she slipped her hand out of Sam's. To play off the awkwardness, Kat cocked her head to the side and shrugged, a playful smile across her lips. Sam looked down at his shoes, laughing to himself.

"Well then," Kat exclaimed now turning to the rest of the room. "I'll make us all some dinner. Hope you boys like Italian."

With that Kat turned on her toes and half walked, half ran to the kitchen, desperate to get a quiet moment to herself. She had imagined running into Dean a million times over in her head but she never expected him to just show up. One thing was nagging at Kat…how was she going to explain Sophie to Dean? Once Kat was safely behind the swinging door to the kitchen she slumped against the wall, took a deep breath, and tried to think up some plausible explanation for everything.

Once Dean could hear the music coming from the kitchen he excused himself and walked over to the kitchen. When he opened the swinging door he found Kat dancing in the middle of her kitchen, completely oblivious to the world around her. Same old Kat, Dean thought to himself. He walked into the kitchen and stood in front of the island waiting for Kat to turn back around and see him. When she did finally turn around she almost screamed, surprised to find another person in her kitchen. Dean chuckled under his breath, it was easy to startle Kat and it was adorable every time. Kat always put on a "fearless" front, but Dean knew she wasn't as hard as she tried to come off.

"Can I help you with something?" Kat snapped, annoyed that she had be startled.

Dean flashed Kat his pretty boy smirk and shook his head. "I see you still listen to crap 90's music."

Kat rolled her eyes and tried to keep the smile off her face. If she had a nickel for every time Dean commented on her bad taste in music, she could put her and Sophie through college. Kat walked over to the cabinet above the stove, stood on her toes and struggled to reach the pot above her head. Dean rolled his eyes as he walked over to where Kat stood and retrieved the pot for her. He placed it on the stove in front of her and smiled. Being this close to her he knew Kat couldn't ignore him.

"Why would you put something up so high? You know you're only two feet tall, there's no way in hell you'll ever reach that. Or does the man of the house retrieve all the things on the higher shelves."

"She doesn't have a man!"

Dean and Kat turned towards the door where the noise came from. Kat rolled her eyes and padded across the room and pushed the door open. Before she could push it open fully the door hit Taylor in the face and she fell to the ground. Sophie backed away from the door before she got hit and was now staring down worriedly at her aunt. Kat shook her head, annoyed that her sister was spying on her, like she was 5, and including Sophie. Kat looked across the room to find Sam sitting on the couch trying to look at anything besides the scene in front of the kitchen door as he tried to keep a straight face.

"Taylor, pretend like you know how to be an adult. Why don't you go keep Sam entertained? And keep Sophie away from the kitchen for a while." Kat grumbled, her arms crossed against her chest.

Taylor flashed her sister a guilty smile and nodded. "She was just helping me look for my contact. We'll be in the living room if you need us."

Kat turned around shaking her head. When she looked back at Dean he was standing over a now boiling pot of water. Kat sighed and walked back over to where Dean stood and watched him pour the bag of pasta into the water, his cocky smile across his lips. Kat rolled her eyes and was ready to prove to Dean she could reach her belongings just fine. Without a word she turned her back to the counter, hopped onto the counter, straightened herself up and retrieved a sauce pan. She sat the pan down next to her before she jumped off the counter. Once her feet hit the floor she threw up her arms and flashed Dean a smug smile.

"And the crowd goes wild!" Kat shouted over the music, laughing to herself.

Dean shook his head. "It's like you never change."

Kat's smile fell and she stared at Dean. She could feel the knot in her stomach start to form.

"I've changed a lot Dean." Kat whispered as she grabbed an armful of cans from the pantry.

Dean turned away from the pasta cooking on the stove and watched as Kat retrieved different ingredients, trying to busy herself so she didn't have to look at him. Dean had thought about this girl almost every day since he'd left town 7 years ago, this time he wasn't leaving without answers.

"Is there something you want to tell me Kat?" Dean asked, his face emotionless.

Kat tensed as she played with the spices she had laid out on the counter. "I don't think so."

"Then let's start with why you never met me the night I left town."

Kat whipped her head around to face him. Dean could see the shock in her face, he was shocked by his own directness, but he wanted the answer to the question he had carried around all these years. Kat shook her head and was about to walk away when Dean cut in front of her, blocking her escape. Kat stood there, 10 inches shorter than Dean, and glared up at him. She could be mad, he didn't care, he had a right to know.

"I'm not doing this right now." Kat snapped. "You can't just show up here out of the blue and demand I put your ego to rest. We spent a great couple of months together but it's in the past."

Kat shoved past him and walked over to the pantry trying to find anything else she could retrieve, anything that would be a distraction. Dean wasn't that easily shut down, he was going to get an answer even if it led little Katie Sawyer to murder him. Dean stood in the doorway to the pantry and watched Kat re-arrange the cans on the shelves, waiting for a real answer.

"This isn't an ego trip Kat." Dean snapped, now annoyed. "I want to know what changed in the two hours between the last time I saw you and when you were supposed to meet me. Did your house burn down? Did you get hit by a car? You're obviously not dead, so what was it Katie?"

Kat whipped back around and stared up at him, her jaw strained, her hazel eyes burning with anger and something Dean couldn't put his finger on. Dean watched as Kat shook in front of him, her anger now obvious in the way she held herself.

"It's none of your damn business. It was seven years ago Dean, why does it matter to you so much?" Kat shouted her voice thick with anguish.

Dean racked his fingers through his hair. "Because I loved you Kat and I've spent every day since then loving you. So I want you to put me out of my misery and just tell me the truth."

Kat stood in front of Dean for a moment, wide eyed and speechless. Once the echoing of his voice disappeared in the kitchen Kat did the one thing she was good at…running. Kat pushed past Dean before he could even comprehend what was happening. Dean thought she was going to run out the door but fate had other plans. Before Kat could get past the kitchen door Sam walked in and Kat ran straight into him. Kat hit Sam and started to fall to the ground. This was Dean's chance. Dean caught Kat before she fell, scooped her up, and sat her on the island.

"Dean maybe you should-" Sam started to say as he watched his brother sit the girl on the counter.

"Shut it Sam." Dean snapped as he pressed his hands against the cold counter top on either side of Kat's legs. "Fine Kat then answer me this, why didn't you tell me in the last 6 years I had a daughter?"


	4. Chapter 4

The moment the words stumbled from his lips Kat held her breath and stopped moving. With Dean this close she could see the anger and hurt in his eyes. She didn't really know what to say. Kat sat there immobile for a moment, staring back at Dean while Sam stood behind him wide eyed, waiting to see what happened next. Kat rolled her eyes and let out a nervous laugh.

"You think Sophie is your daughter?" Kat said between forced laughs. "Come on Dean back up."

Dean frowned. "I'm not an idiot Kat. I know she's mine. Why else would a 6 year old call my father in the middle of the night?"

Kat looked at the ground while she fidgeted with her hands. "When did she call you?"

"Last night. I wasn't going to rat her out but you're impossible Kat. How couldn't you tell me?"

Kat shot up and glared at him. "What was I supposed to do Dean? Call you up and say I was pregnant? What would you have done? Dropped everything and lived a normal life? I knew better than that."

"You don't know anything Kat!" Dean shouted as he pulled a hand through his hair. "You have no idea what I would have done! If you had asked me to drop it all, I would have. Is that why you didn't show up that night? You thought I couldn't handle a baby?"

Kat laughed and rolled her eyes. "No Dean, I found out I was pregnant a few days after you left but I'm glad I didn't show up, you would have dropped me off at the next rest stop once you figured out I was pregnant. I've seen 16 and pregnant, I know how it works."

Dean laughed bitterly and clenched his hands into fists. "This isn't a tv show Kat! I'm not those guys. GOD! You are impossible! I would have stuck around. I would have done anything you asked me to. Just because you think I'm some dick who will leave my kid doesn't make me that guy."

"Well what are you going to do now Dean!" Kat shouted, throwing her hands up. "Are you going to drop everything now? You want to play house now? Well here it is, and believe me, it's not easy."

"Fine!" Dean shouted back at her. "Like I said Kat, she called me yesterday, and I'm here. I dropped everything and came here, no questions asked. So you want to see if I can be a family man, watch me."

Kat sat there blinking back at him, confused. Dean just stood there waiting for Kat to say something.

"Fine?" Kat repeated, confused.

"That's what I said." Dean said matter-o-factly.

Kat just rolled her eyes and laughed. "Whatever Dean, let me get down. I know better than to believe that."

Dean pulled on his hair as he stared down at Kat's giggling face. "Why is it so hard to believe?"

"I know what you do for a living Dean, you're too busy saving the world to sit around and play house. So don't sell me this 'I can be a dad' crap, I'm not buying it."

Sam walked closer to the two of them and stared at his brother. "You told her what we do?"

Dean rolled his eyes and turned to his brother. "7 years ago in November, Tucson Arizona, the weird carnival…"

Sam's eyes widened. "She was the reason we stayed in Arizona that long? God Dean, you knew I hated it there."

"It was barely 60 degrees, suck it up man, it was better than snow." Dean turned his attention back to an annoyed Kat. "Just let me get to know her Kat, if you want me gone in a week, I'll be gone, but just let me try and show you I'm serious."

Kat was already getting tired of this conversation and though she'd never admit it, she wanted Dean to stick around. She had thought about him for years, wishing he'd be the guy she dreamed about and could be the father she imagined. Why not give him the test drive?

Kat sighed and nodded. "Fine, one week and then I'll reassess things. You can start with dinner. If you can survive a dinner with Taylor, there may be hope for you. Now move, I'm ordering take out, the pasta is dead."

Dean kissed Kat on the head quickly before backing up and letting her off the counter. As Kat hopped of the counter she smiled to herself. He still knew how to get his way with her and though it annoyed her, it also gave her an ounce of hope. Maybe he was serious and she was wrong. Maybe he could be the man she always wished him to be… but she didn't believe it just yet.

Dean sat next to Sophie and his brother at the round table in Kat's dining room, a plate of Chinese food in front of him. Kat was right, they were too busy arguing to pay attention to the noodles that were turning into putty on the stove. Kat tossed the food then went out to go find food, which knowing Kat, was just an excuse to get away from an awkward conversation. Though all his questions hadn't been answered, Dean decided he'd take what he could get and spend his time getting to know his daughter.

Kat sat down across from him, crossing her legs in her chair, a habit that shocked Dean. He remembered Kat sitting everywhere with her legs crossed, but seeing her now, the image of professional, he would have never guessed she kept up with such an un-professional habit. He smiled down at his food appreciating the Kat he had known years ago was still in there somewhere. Kat liked to say she had become a whole new person, but from what Dean could see, she was the same old Kat just with a more professional wardrobe.

"So," Taylor started, ready to pry, "how did you and Katie meet?"

"Kat, my name is Kat." Kat mumbled as she picked at her food.

Dean smiled at Kat as she focused her attention on the glass table in front of her, avoiding eye contact.

"We actually met at a carnival." Dean said matter-o-factly.

"Oh that sounds romantic!" Taylor exclaimed looking from one to the other.

Kat rolled her eyes as she took a bite of an egg roll. Dean stifled a laugh. The way they met was anything but romantic, but if that's what Taylor wanted to believe, then who was he to burst her bubble?

_Dean walked around the fairgrounds looking for anything that could give him an idea of what he and his brother were looking for. They had been pushing passed families and kissing teenagers for hours and they still hadn't found anything. Dean was about to turn around and go retrieve his brother when he heard a scream a few feet ahead of him. Dean followed the general direction he assumed he had heard the sounds coming from until found himself in a clearing. In the clearing stood a girl all in black holding a long silver knife, slightly crouched, ready to pounce. Past the girl in all black stood another girl, tiny, with dark brown hair down to her waist wearing a blue flower print sundress and black sandals. The smaller girl stood there shaking looking around the clearing, hoping to find something that would help protect her. _

_Dean's job was to save people, so he didn't even think about it when he pulled his gun out and pointed at the girl with the knife. _

"_Drop it!" Dean said, completely calm. _

_The girl in black turned around to find a gun in her face. The girl just glared at him, looking more annoyed than afraid. _

"_Look, I don't want to hurt you. Just go back, this has nothing to do with you." The girl in front of him said calmly, as if this were a normal situation. _

_Dean looked at the girl confused, still holding his gun in her face. "I'm not just going to let you cut some girl up. Sorry honey, it's just not a thing I can just walk away from."_

_The girl in black rolled her eyes and turned to the other girl. "She isn't just some girl, she's an abomination and it's my job to take care of her."_

"_I have no idea what you're talking about!" The other girl shouted. _

_Dean had dealt with his fair share of "abominations" in his lifetime, but this scared tiny girl didn't look like she fit the description. Dean rolled his eyes then shot his gun over his head. The girl in black turned around and stared at him with wide eyes. _

"_Look lady, I'll take care of this, so either scram or the next bullet goes in your head."_

_The girl looked at Dean for a moment, trying to decide if he was serious or not. It only took a moment staring at his eyes to see he was completely serious and if she didn't leave soon she wouldn't see another day. The girl huffed but walked back towards the direction of the carnival. _

"_Just know if you don't shoot her, I'll be back, and I will take care of this." The girl said as she walked away. _

"_Yeah, yeah. Why don't you go eat some cotton candy, people like you need somethin' sweet in their lives." Dean called after her as the girl walked away. _

_Once she was gone Dean turned his attention to the shaking girl in front of him. Though she was a peculiar girl with blue eye shadow around her hazel eyes and a blue bow in her hair, she didn't look like the monster the girl had described. Just to be sure, Dean pulled a handful of salt out of his pocket and as he approached the girl he threw the handful of salt at her. The salt hit her in the face and though she flinched it didn't burn her. She spit the salt out of her face, shot Dean a quizzical look, then burst into a fit of laughter. Dean just watched the girl confused, missing what was funny about this whole situation. _

"_Oh my god! You a-salted me!" The girl shouted between giggles. _

_Dean looked at the girl as if she were insane. She was almost stabbed to death and she was focusing on a terrible joke? This girl had to be insane. Even if she were insane, she was no monster, so now it was his job to get her somewhere safe. _

"_I'm gonna assume you're having one of those PTSD hysteric fits at the moment, and I understand you're in shock, but I need to get you somewhere safe." Dean explained as he tried to think of where he could take her. _

_The girl just stood there in front of him continuing to laugh. Dean was starting to get frustrated with this girl. Seriously, one would have thought she didn't care if she lived or died the way she was behaving. Finally the girl straightened herself and stopped laughing. She then stood there smiling up at Dean as she swayed to the distant sounds of music from the fairgrounds. _

"_Look prince charming, I appreciate you saving me and all but I have to get home." The girl stated as she shrugged and started towards the fairgrounds. _

_Dean grabbed the girl by the arm. "Oh no you don't. You were almost killed. I'm at least going to make sure you're safe tonight. You got a name?"_

"_I do but I don't give my name out to every pretty boy who asks." The girl said, as if this were a typical way to meet people. _

"_I just saved your life, and you're about to spend the night with me, so I think I've earned the right to learn your name."_

"_My name's Kat, and if you think I'm spending the night with you, you're sadly mistaken. I'll give you a chance to woo me enough to earn a night with me, but if you fail I'm going home and leaving my fate in the hands of the universe."_

_Kat stood on her toes, kissed Darien on the cheek, then turned and ran back towards the fair. _

"Let's just say the way we met was eventful." Dean said while he watched Kat.

Kat looked up and smiled at him, enjoying their private joke. As if it were contagious, which Kat's smile usually was, Dean's lip turned up into a smile as he winked at her from across the table. Kat did her usual eye roll before taking another bite of her egg roll. Dean was pulled away from watching Kat when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He turned to his brother who was pointing at a waiting Taylor. He was so busy being amused by their little joke he had missed Taylor's next question. Dean turned his attention back to Taylor, eagerly waiting to ask her next question.

"So what do you do for a living Darien?" Taylor asked, ignoring her food and watching Darien's every move.

Though Taylor had a sweet as honey smile across her lips, Dean had a feeling there were some hostile feelings behind that smile.

Dean returned the smile. "I'm a mechanic. Glamorous, I know."

Kat scoffed at the lie. That was something he did for a living, lie, but fixing cars? Unless it was his car, he probably had never fixed a car in his life. Taylor whipped her head around and glared at her sister. Kat smiled innocently and shrugged.

"I'm sorry my sister is so rude," Taylor interjected. "I think it's great you fix cars. Neither of us can fix a damn thing. Probably why we're always poor, maybe we should find a man to fix all the crap wrong in our lives."

Kat shot a glare at her sister. "Men don't just come in and magically fix everything Taylor. I can fix my life just fine without one, and if I need to dish out cash to fix my sink, I'd rather pay the bill."

Kat glared back down at the plate in front of her, avoiding the sets of eyes now staring at her. The tension level was getting too high for Sam's comfort, so he decided this was the time to diffuse the situation. Sam had a talent for making awkward situations disappear.

"So," Sam turned his attention to Kat, "how did you meet John?"

Kat tensed and looked up with wide eyes. Well I guess that wasn't a great way to fix the situation, Sam thought to himself. Dean watched as Kat collected herself and focused all her attention on Sam, making sure not to make eye contact with Dean. Kat took a deep breath and forced her lips into a smile.

"Well," Kat said as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I went back to the hotel Dean was staying in when I found out about Sophie and John was there."

"You came looking for me?" Dean asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

Kat turned to stare at the wall next to her and nodded. Dean sat there blinking at her, completely shocked. She went to see him. Even after she didn't show up she went looking for him. But why?

"But-" Dean racked his fingers through his hair. "I came back for you a month later and you weren't there. I asked everyone I ran into and no one knew where you were."

Kat just sat there and cringed. Dean felt the desperation grow inside him as he watched Kat actively ignore him. Sophie could feel the tension building next to her and took it her upon herself to diffuse the situation. She nudged Dean who turned to her faster than she had expected.

"Mom was living in Virginia when I was born." Sophie whispered.

Kat turned wide eyes to her daughter. She couldn't yell at Sophie, she hadn't done anything wrong, but Kat had wanted to keep that piece of information to herself. Dean turned back to Kat, his mouth gaping open.

"You were living in our old house? Where I grew up? You were in Virginia this whole time?" Darien exclaimed, hurt and anger swelling inside him.

Kat finally turned her attention to Dean and nodded. "I told John I was pregnant and he drove me to Virginia. He said it was the safest place he could think of. I stayed there until Sophie was born then I found out my sister lived here and I moved to Ohio."

As she spoke the stabbing pain in his heart grew. She was living in his childhood home for a whole year and he had no clue. He hadn't been home in years, it would always be his home, but he had no reason to go back. His father had always been on the road and his brother was with him, so what was the point of returning to four walls and a roof? But she had been there, for a whole year, and he never knew.

"Why didn't you call me?" Dean snapped, letting his anger be the dominant emotion. "Why didn't you talk to me and tell me what was going on?"

Kat shot him a dirty look and shook her head. "I called Dean, it took me three months to build up the courage but I finally called and do you want to guess where you were when I called? At a bar, I'm guessing, while some drunk girl was screaming your name in the background. Knowing you she probably spent the night with you. I wasn't going to be the bearer of bad news while you were trying to get laid. I wasn't going to be _that girl_ who ruined your life."

Before Kat could say anything else she got up from the table and walked out the back door, slamming it behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

"My sister can be such a drama queen sometimes." Taylor said as she walked back into the living room.

Sam and Dean sat on the couch patiently waiting while Taylor and Sophie went to retrieve something. After Kat had walked off Sophie was worried her new found father would do the same, so she nudged her aunt, whispered something in her ear, and the two smiled at each other before walking away and telling the boys to 'make themselves at home'. When they returned Taylor walked back into the room with a box of tapes in her arms and Sophie cautiously carried what looked like a photo album in her arms. Sophie walked over to Sam and handed him the Photo album before hopping onto the couch in between the brothers. Taylor smiled at the scene then made her way over to the television and began setting up the tape player.

"What is all of this?" Dean questioned as he watched his brother stare at the book his niece gave him.

"Sam said he wanted pictures of grandpa John so those are all the pictures we have. Mommy usually hides it in her closet but we found it." Sophie explained as she watched Dean for any change of expression.

"And these," Taylor added from the other side of the room, "are tapes of Sophie when she was little. John's in most of these, and of course yours truly is in them."

Dean was silent as he stared at his brother. Sam ran his hand over the front of the book but made no move as to actually open it. Dean didn't know what to do, part of him wanted to see all of the things he missed but at the same time he was too afraid to see his father's face. Finally Sam took a deep breath and opened the book.

The first few pages were all of the day Sophie was born. A tired looking Kat holding her new born baby, John and Kat sitting on Kat's hospital bed smiling down at a sleeping baby Sophie, and of course the whole page of Kat either sleeping or glaring at the camera. Dean remembered how much Kat hated pictures, she was always criticizing how she looked in them, and Dean could just imagine his father clicking away with the camera, capturing every moment of Sophie's birth. The next few sets of pictures John wasn't present for. Taylor and Kat standing behind Sophie as she stared at her first birthday cake, Kat and Sophie at the zoo, Kat teaching Sophie how to swim, and Kat sitting on the couch in her sweats with an excited expression on her face while Sophie stood in the middle of a room. Underneath the picture it explained 'Sophie's first steps' to those who weren't there to understand why Kat looked so excited.

Dean sat there silently, taking all these pictures in. He didn't know how he felt at first when he found out he had a daughter but looking at these pictures now stabbed him in the heart. It made Dean want to pull out his hair thinking about Kat's ridiculous reasoning for not telling him sooner. Yes, Dean had his job, but it was the family business, and if John could make time for his granddaughter, Dean could make time for Sophie. And whatever girl Kat was talking about, just thinking about it made him want to throw things. Dean had never let himself fall for anyone until he met Kat and seven years later Kat was still the only girl who had ever gotten under Dean Winchester's skin. What Dean couldn't understand was how she didn't know that. Didn't she feel the same way about him? Dean wasn't always for the Lifetime Movie moments, but he thought it was obvious Kat was the only girl…she was just the only girl period.

Sam turned the page of the album again and was startled to see his father's face again. He had assumed there would be more pictures of John, but he was so busy trying to imagine himself in these moments of his niece's life he almost forgot his father had actually been a part of some of these moment.

"I'm four there. That's my father daughter dance." Sophie explained to Sam before turning her attention to Dean. "You're taking me to that, that's why I called you."

Dean looked down at Sophie and scoffed. "You called me because of a father-daughter dance? No offense, just when you called, you made it sound like you were being beaten or something."

Taylor turned around frowning. "Sophie, what did you say when you called them?"

Sophie looked a little guilty when she replied. "I told them I wasn't allowed to call and they couldn't talk to mom because she'd get so mad if she knew I called."

Taylor laughed and rolled her eyes. "You really did make it sound like your mother beats you huh? To be fair, Sophie gets excited about this dance every year and the only reason she found out John had…passed away was because Kat had to break the news she wasn't going this year."

"Ouch," Dean winced. "That's one way to let a kid down."

"So are you going to take me?" Sophie asked as she looked up at Dean hopefully.

Dean looked at his daughter's face and smiled. "Well if you brought me out here for this then I guess I have to."

Sophie beamed at him before turning her attention back to the photo album. It caught Dean off guard to see Kat's smile in this little girl's face. He could see both of him and Kat in this little girl, which made sense because Sophie was their daughter. It still shocked him that any of this was possible. Dean had "entertained" many women in his lifetime, but he just never thought he'd be a father. Being a hunter and a father never mixed well, all he had to do was look at his own life to remember just how bad a mix parenting and hunting were.

When Sophie flipped the next page in the album all of these pictures were of Kat. Kat standing in front of a Christmas tree grinning into the camera, Kat and Sophie standing in front of a car making silly faces, Kat sitting on the couch trying to cover her face, and one of Kat and Sophie smiling up into the camera. She looked so young in all of these photos, her hair was still long, she still wore too much floral print and bright colors, and her eyes were always rimmed with bright eye shadow, just the way she looked when Dean had met her. Looking at these pictures made him smile, it had only been a year or so since these pictures had been taken and just a year ago she was still the same old Kat. She wanted Dean to think she had drastically changed but seeing these pictures he knew her makeover was only skin deep. The same Kat he fell in love with was there, she just updated her wardrobe.

Before he could turn another page noise from the television caught Dean's attention. He looked up to see Taylor had managed to get the tape player to work and images stared to appear on the screen. Dean sat and watched as Kat filled the screen, glaring into the camera.

"Taylor, get that camera out of my face." Kat spoke into the camera as she continued to glare.

"Come on Kat, work with me, we're making memories." Taylor's voice filled the room from the television.

Taylor in the here and no walked over to the couch and sat down on the floor, watching along with them as the tape continued.

"Tell our audience why we're making this segment of the video." Taylor's voice said.

Kat rolled her eyes but smiled. "I'm moving in with my sister today. I really hope we're the only ones who watch this."

The camera turned and Taylor's face took up the whole screen. "You heard it here, Kat is moving in with her loving sister! Kat, can you tell the audience who else is moving in with us?"

The camera turned back to Kat carrying a box into a bedroom. Kat sat the box down and walked over to a large pink crib, now smiling down into the crib.

"Sophie and I are moving in to my lovely sister's home because she is so gracious." Kat said somewhat sarcastically as she continued to smile down into the crib.

The camera shifted and inside the crib was a baby Sophie sleeping in a onesie, looking peaceful, like every sleeping baby.

The camera stayed there and everything was silent for a moment before the camera moved back to Kat's face who now looked peaceful as she stared down at her daughter. When Kat realized the camera was back on her she rolled her eyes and walked away. She turned to face the camera once more, obviously trying to hide a grin as she shook her head.

"Are you going to film my whole move just so you can get out of helping?" Kat said to the camera as she laughed.

Then the screen went black for a moment. It only took a few seconds before the video came back on but the date at the bottom of the screen indicated this was a different event. Now Kat sat at her kitchen counter fidgeting with her phone. She looked up into the camera now annoyed.

"This really isn't the time Taylor." Kat snapped as she glared at the camera, no humor in her face this time.

"Kat, you don't know when you might want to look back at this moment and re-live this decision." Taylor's voice encouraged.

"We lost this tape for a while, that's why there's such a time jump." Taylor explained as she continued to watch the video.

"I can't do this." Kat mumbled as she stared at the phone in front of her.

Suddenly the phone was in front of the screen as Taylor's hand typed in the number before setting the phone in front of her sister.

"I'm going to have to black the phone number out of the video later." Taylor's voice from the television explained.

Kat shook her head looking annoyed. "This isn't a documentary, no one besides us is going to watch this."

"Well if you chicken out Sophie could find this video later and call herself."

Kat turned wide eyes to the camera. "That's not funny! Why couldn't you just date? If you had a boyfriend he could solve all our problems and take her."

"Says the woman who hasn't even looked at a guy since you showed up in Ohio." Kat opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Taylor. "Watching Roswell just to check out Jason Behr's abs doesn't count."

Kat pouted as she stared at the phone in front of her. There was a long silence before Kat snatched the phone off the counter and walked away. Taylor silently followed behind, at least that's what Dean assumed watching the movements of the camera. Kat walked into a bathroom before shutting the door in her sister's face. Taylor's closed fist filled the frame as she knocked on the white door.

"You better let me in or I'm going to sing very loudly in the background." Taylor shouted.

The door suddenly burst open and an annoyed looking Kat stood there looking unhappily at her sister. Without a word the camera moved and a door closing echoed through the room. Kat took a seat on the floor of the bathroom then stared at the phone again. Kat took a deep breath before hitting call and waiting. It didn't take long before Kat's eyes widened, obviously shocked that someone had answered.

"Hi John, um…it's Kat. I-" Kat paused, obviously listening to what John was saying. "No, everything is fine, I just…I needed a favor." Pause. "Sophie, your granddaughter-" Pause. "Right, of course you know her name duh. Well, she has this dance next week and it's Father/daughter and-" Kat was cut off and a panicked look fell over her face. "NO! I don't want you to tell him. I was hoping you could do it?"

Kat sat there and listened for a moment, everything completely silent as she listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. Out of nowhere, at least to everyone who didn't know what was going on with the conversation, Kat's eyes filled with tears. She placed a hand over her mouth as she continued to sit there listening.

"I-I'm okay John I swear. She's beautiful and healthy and except for today she's been happy. I just want to give this to her. I…I don't want to disappoint her." There was another long pause as Kat listened. John must have said something funny because Kat choked out a small laugh while she cried. "She's definitely a Winchester in that way. She won't take no for an answer…Thank you John."

Kat said her good-byes before hanging up the phone. She took a deep breath before turning a tear stained face up into the camera.

"He'll be here in a few hours." Kat said.

The tape went blank again then popped up with another date in seconds. This time a four year old Sophie sat on the steps outside of the house staring at the street in front of her, waiting. The camera shifted to capture Kat standing next to the person with the camera, watching and waiting along with Sophie. Kat turned her face to the camera and squinted through the glare of the sun.

"Remind me to break that damn camera when you're not looking." Kat whispered.

"Come on Kat, this is a big deal." Taylor's voice echoed.

"I know." Kat said as she looked away from the camera.

"Do you ever wish you could call Sophie's dad and he'd move here and you'd have that happy family you always wanted."

Kat turned to glare at the camera's owner. "I'm not doing this right now Taylor."

"Come on Kat, I'm serious."

Kat rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the road in front of her. "Yes, there are numerous days where I wish my life was simple and easy and Dean would play house with me, but I'm not even going to make the phone call to get my hopes up. Life would have been simpler if mom had just been a single parent, I'm not going to make that mistake and bring a man into my life to mess it all up."

"Dean isn't dad Kat." Taylor's voice said sympathetically.

Kat whipped around and glared. "We're done talking about this or I'm throwing that camera into the street and watching it shatter."

Taylor turned her attention back to the street in front of the house where a black Impala pulled up and parked in front of the house. Sophie pushed herself off the steps and ran towards the car. Just as Sophie got to the car John Winchester stepped out of the car smiling at his granddaughter. Without hesitation, John closed the door, walked around the car, and took his granddaughter up into his arms. Sophie softly giggled in the distance as she hugged John back. John set Sophie down then turned his attention to the party on the front porch. He walked up the steps as Sohpie followed closed behind him. When he got in front of Kat he smiled down at her, a relieved expression on his face.

"I'm really glad you called." John said as he smiled down at Kat.

Kat grinned up at John, looking genuinely happy to see him. "I'm so glad you came."

John wrapped his arms around Kat and took her into an embrace. Dean turned his attention to Taylor sitting on the floor watching the screen as if she had never seen this before.

"Taylor what was so bad about your dad?" Dean asked, ignoring the screen.

Taylor tensed. "And on that note, we're done going through these tapes."

Taylor pushed herself off the floor and hurried over to the tape player. Taylor hit the stop button and turned to the group sitting in front of the television, who were staring at her. Taylor awkwardly smiled.

"Alright Sophie, go get ready for bed. Your mother is going to want you to be asleep by the time she gets back."

Sophie nodded before turning to Dean. "Are you really going to stay?"

"If I'm not here in the morning your mother threw me out and I'm sleeping on the porch." Dean said with a wink.

Sophie turned to Sam looking confused.

"That's a yes, we're really staying." Sam clarified for her.

Sophie's face lit up. Sophie wrapped her tiny arms around as much of Dean as she could. Dean was surprised at first but recovered and returned her embrace. It was a nice feeling, holding his daughter in his arms. Sophie pulled away and flashed Dean a smile before walking over to Sam and hugging him. Sam smiled at the little girl as her hugged her then released her. Sophie walked over to Taylor who bent down and planted a soft kiss on the little girl's head.

"Good night angel, I'll be up in a minute." Taylor said as she watched Sophie disappear up the stairs.

Once Sophie was gone Dean turned his attention back to Taylor. "Taylor…what was so bad at home?"

Taylor sighed as she placed her hands on her hips. "What did she tell you?"

"Nothing. Some days she would need to be at home before midnight and other nights she would avoid going home at all. Was it that bad?"

Taylor shook her head. "Just drop it Dean, I can't tell you anything and if you ask her she's going to flip out and it'll just give her an excuse to push you away and out of Sophie's life. Your best bet is to just forget it."

Before Dean could ask anything else, Taylor grabbed the box of tapes and walked away. Dean looked at his brother, who just shrugged.

"For now, let it go Dean." Sam said, hoping for once, his brother would take his advice.

Kat was laying in her bed staring at the ceiling when a scream broke through the dark silence. Kat shout up in bed, threw the covers and ran down the hall. She knew that scream all too well and every time she heard it adrenaline coursed through her veins. It felt like it took her forever to get to Sophie's room as she ran down the hall trying to close the distance between her and her daughter. Before she could get there Dean shot out of his room and ran to Sophie's open bedroom door. Kat wanted to yell at him, but she was too focused on her mission to get to her daughter. When she turned into Sophie's room she found Dean standing next to a shaking Sophie. Sophie sat in her bed shaking as she stared at her closet door, ignoring everyone in the room. Kat took a deep breath before sitting down on Sophie's bed, inches away from Dean.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Kat asked worry thick in her voice as she brushed the blonde hair out of her daughter's face.

"My closet door just closed, I saw it close, no one was there." Sophie said hurriedly in a panic.

Kat saw movement from the corner of her eye and turned to find Sam walk in, a gun in his hand. Kat stood up in one quick movement as she stared at Sam angrily.

"What the hell are you doing with a gun in my house? I have a 6 year old!" Kat shouted, waving her hands around angrily.

Sam guiltily looked down at his hand then back at Kat. "I…I was just…um…it's kinda part of the job."

"We're trying to protect you, Kat." Dean said behind her.

Kat whipped around and glared at Dean. "I don't need you to protect me! I need that gun somewhere where my daughter can't accidently shoot herself with it."

"Mommy!" Sophie shouted bringing everyone's attention back to her. "There's a monster in my closet."

Kat sighed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Sophie we've been over this, there is nothing in your closet."

"How long have you been having this problem?" Sam asked as he took in Sophie's pale face.

Kat rolled her eyes and turned to Sam. "Don't. Nothing is wrong. I thought there was something in your closet when I was little. Considering that nothing ate me, this is just a typical child thing."

Dean shot Kat an amused look. "You also thought you weren't being followed in Phoenix. We figured out you were wrong then too."

Kat smiled and shook her head. He was right, she never thought anything was wrong in Phoenix, but when Dean came into her life she started to pick up on the things she never noticed. Kat sighed as she sat down on the bed and gesturing to Sam to continue his questions.

"So why do you think there's something in your closet?" Sam asked turning his attention back to Sophie.

"There's always this scratching noise in the middle of the night, and sometimes I can hear laughing. And the door opens and closes on its own." Sophie explained hurriedly, obviously terrified.

"How long has this been going on?" Dean asked, his eyebrow rose from curiosity.

"I'm not sure. A long time." Sophie said now looking confused.

"It started a few months ago at least," Kat explained. "She started sleeping in my room when this all started happening."

"And you didn't call? Not even John?" Dean asked sounding annoyed.

"No Dean, I didn't think to call every time my six year old has a nightmare." Kat said through gritted teeth.

"Well obviously this isn't a nightmare. I'm surprised nothing ate her yet." Dean mumbled.

The second Dean said it Sophie's face fell and she started to scream. Kat shot Dean a dirty look before trying to calm down Sophie. It took a lot of soothing before Sophie finally went silent and went back to quietly staring at her closet. When Sophie quieted Kat shot another dirty look at Dean who stood there not sure what to do.

"Great job Dean." Sam muttered as he watched Sophie cautiously.

"I didn't actually mean it like that! I just meant maybe Kat should pick up the phone and call someone." Dean explained as he watched Kat out of the corner of his eye.

Kat shot up and closed the distance between her and Dean. Dean looked down into Kat's angry face as he waited for her to speak…or punch him.

"We really don't have time for this fight right now," Sam interrupted. "We should check out her closet."

Dean nodded, still looking down at Kat waiting for a reaction. Kat took a deep breath and nodded. Dean turned away from her and faced the closet in question. Sam walked past Kat and over to the closet, his grip firm around his gun. Dean wrapped his hand around the door knob before looking at his brother. Dean held up three fingers and silently counted down before flinging open the door. Sam didn't hesitate, as soon as the door was open he stood in the door way, his gun pointed into the closet. Dean, Sam, and Kat all stood there for a second, looking inside the closet for anything misplaced.

"Oh fuck!" Kat shouted staring into the closet.

There sitting on the floor of Sophie's closet sat an old fashioned doll. A clown doll. Kat shuttered then looked at Dean who was staring at her quizzically.

"Ooh, mommy said a bad word." Sophie whispered as she tried to peak around the three adults standing in front of the closet.

"Sorry…I really hate clowns." Kat explained now embarrassed.

"I told you it wasn't just me! Clowns are creepy." Sam whispered cautiously staring at the clown doll.

"I think Sophie just became the second most mature person in this room." Dean said looking at Kat and his brother as if they had just sprouted an extra head.

Kat shot Dean a look of annoyance before turning her attention back to the doll on the ground.

"Well I'm done sleeping for tonight." Kat mumbled still staring at the doll.

"You must feel so relieved Sophie called us. Now you have two able bodied men willing to fix your closet monster problem." Dean said, taking pride in himself.

Kat raised one brown eyebrow at him, half amused. "Oh, this is making me feel so much better."

Kat picked Sophie off the bed and carried her out of the room, flashing Dean a sarcastic smile as she passed him. Dean gaped at her as she walked by, shocked silent from her comment.

"Remember who saved your ass in Phoenix! I'm a hero!" Dean shouted down the hallway.

"OOH! Dean said a bad word!" Kat shouted, obviously mimicking Sophie's previous statement.

Dean turned to his brother for help. Sam shrugged and stifled the laugh he so desperately was fighting down. Dean rolled his eyes before turning and exiting the room. It was time for them to get to work.


End file.
